Is your child ZZZZZZ (sleeping) well?

By Alice Noman

Here are few tips which will improve your child's sleeping pattern:

1. Nighttime waking:

Availability of high tech toys (video games), feeding or social activities encourage child to be up late. At night you must set limits to the attention seeking behavior.

2. Peaceful environment:

We all need peaceful environment to fall asleep. Many factors such as background noise, sleep partners, availability of favorite toy or video games, lighting can affect your child's ability to fall asleep. Make sure your child's room is cool, dark and quiet.

3. Fix bedtimes and waking times:

Make your child go to bed and out of bed at the same time, throughout, seven days a week. A consistent bedtime routine helps in preparing a child for sleep. Waking times are more effective than bed times in establishing sleep rhythms.

4. Make your child relax at bedtime:

You can hand over your child's favorite stuffed animal or blanket at bedtime. Try not to get involved in activities which require your presence, such as rocking, holding etc.

5. Avoid caffeinated drinks:

A new study found that soft drinks containing caffeine can adversely affect a child' sleep pattern, leaving him/her more tired during the day. Caffeine is also present in fancy coffee drinks and tea. Do not allow your child to have caffeinated drinks in the evening.

6. Limit time in bed:

Everybody needs different amount of sleep to get up refreshed next day. Infants sleep for more than 12 hours, children sleep 10 hours, adolescent and adults sleep for 8 to 9 hours. Don't let children spend hours in bed wide awake as it can interfere with their sleep hygiene, a term used for describing good quality sleep for adequate duration.

7. Make bedroom zzzzzzz zone:

Your child's bedroom should not have anything to distract him. Remove video games, television, computer and toys from his room. Though, you can let him/her have one or two favorite stuffed toys to cuddle with when the child sleeps.